Serving a Transformed People

Nehemiah 9:1–6 (NKJV)

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.

Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

“Stand up and bless the Lord your God

Forever and ever!

“Blessed be Your glorious name,

Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!

You alone are the Lord;

You have made heaven,

The heaven of heavens, with all their host,

The earth and everything on it,

The seas and all that is in them,

And You preserve them all.

The host of heaven worships You.

Pastoral Prayer for the Service and the Congregation

Sackcloth and ashes are the court robes of those blessed mourners who shall be comforted.

Charles Spurgeon

Or hear the words of this quote:

Asoka, once emperor of India, distributed Buddha’s ashes, in minute portions, to eighty-four thousand shrines all over India! Buddhism is centered around the worship of the ashes of the dead founder. Christianity centers around its living Lord!

Anonymous

The reality of the Christian faith is succinctly stated in this truth:

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What is the response of a people called by God? How does the Church point people to the LORD?

First Response: Mourning Over Sin—v. 1

Sin may be the occasion of great sorrow, when there is no sorrow for sin.

John Owen (Puritan Divine and Statesman)

The People Celebrate the Feast of Booths according to the Sabbatical Year.

Almost 200 bulls were sacrificed in the course of seven days.

Free Will Offerings from those who give according to their ability.

The Word of God Reminds the People Whom They Are Called to be for God’s Glory.

The People See The Impact of Sin Among Them.

The Response is to Seek God Alone

The Weight of Sin Crushes the People into Deep Sorrow.

Mark 8:35 (NKJV)

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Second Response: Being Set Apart—v. 2

We Christians are the Church and whatever we do is what the Church is doing. The matter, therefore, is for each of us a personal one. Any forward step in the Church must begin with the individual.17

A. W. Tozer

God’s People are Called to be Distinct People Before the World.

Being Separate from the World Does Not Mean Isolation.

God Calls the People to be Holy as He is Holy.

1 Peter 2:9–10 (NKJV)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Third Response: Confession and Worship—v. 3-6

Confession of sin puts the soul under the blessing of God.

Anonymous

1594 A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Lutheran Pastor)

Confession is a form of relieving the burden of sin and its impacts on human relationships

Towards God, Confession Expresses Humility and the Gift of Repentance.

Among Disciples, Confession Restores and Encourages Humble Acceptance of One Another.

Revelation 4:9–11 (NKJV)

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

“You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Final Result: Surrender & Full Allegiance — v. 38

When you take refuge in a Church, do not seek shelter merely in the place but in the spirit of the place. For the Church is not wall and roof but faith and life.

bio.JohnChrysostom.1

When God’s People Gather, It Leads to Immense Joy.

When Disciples Disciple Others It Transforms Lives.

When The Chosen of God Worship Out of Repentance, Eternity is Experienced.

Romans 6:4 (NKJV)

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Where To Go From Here:

A Great Commission worshipper is a person who is so much in love with Jesus, so committed to worship of Jesus, and so devoted to being obedient to every command of Jesus that he simply cannot restrain himself from telling others about his incredible relationship with the Son of God. A Great Commission Worshipper is equally committed to worship and evangelism. There is never a time when a division is made between the two. This concept of worship-evangelism is the biblical model for discipleship.

David Wheeler; Vernon M. Whaley

Where Sin is Found, We Must Expose and Confess It.

As God’s People, Our Aim is to Glorify God in Our Journey.

When We Encounter YHWH, We Cannot Be the Same After.

John 3:5 (NKJV)

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Where do I start?

For the Unbeliever—Repent and Believe.

For the Lukewarm—Repent and Return to the Work.

For the One Seeking a Church Family—Join the Church Family as the LORD leads.